by Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
For the first time, people might be able to choose a high school equivalency exam as the state Department of Education prepares to seek other test vendors in light of the revamped 2014 GED.
For years, those wanting to earn their high school equivalency credentials throughout the country have only had one option: the GED, which is administered at 30 certified testing centers throughout the state. But with prices expected to double in the 2014 version, states are considering other options, and New Jersey is no exception.
Because the new GED will be aligned with the Common Core State Standards, it is no longer the sole source provider for Adult Education Assessment, according to state officials. The change still has New Jersey uncertain whether it will stick with the GED or hire other testing services to provide more options for test takers.
”No decision has been made as to which test or tests will be implemented by the DOE in 2014,” said DOE spokeswoman Barbara Morgan. “We are working on the release of a Request for Qualifications so we can authorize test vendors to administer their test here in New Jersey.”
The price hike is not the only change being made to the GED, but it is the main reason for spurring states to look into offering additional testing services. New York already has decided to pay education publisher McGraw Hill more than $1 million to develop a new high school equivalency exam, according to C.T. Turner, the spokesman for GED Testing Services. He said New Hampshire and Montana have also decided to cease using the GED as its sole high school equivalency exam.
Joint owners GED Testing Service and Pearson Vue will roughly double its fees to $120, which will encompass the total cost of the test battery administration.
However, Mr. Turner emphasized it should be looked at as more of an $80/$40 kind of deal: the $80 paying for the actual testing service and exam and the $40, which is a built-in compensation fee to be returned to local testing centers. Mr. Turner said the intent of this compensation was to cover out-of-pocket costs for the center such as hiring proctors and staff to run the facility.
He added the GED Testing Center was willing to work out a total cost for states that might need a full $40 compensation. But to him, the focal point of the new GED should not be its monetary price, and other less expensive test vendors such as McGraw Hill and Educational Testing Service would only be rehashing material from the old GED — not improving it.
”The glaring thing everyone is missing is the question of what is the real cost of this in terms economic development? This is to help people find jobs and support their families,” he said, raising his voice. “With ETS and McGraw Hill — they’re only fulfilling the vision of bureaucrats. Who wants to pay for a rehash of our old test and hold people up to standards from 1998?”
Each state is set up differently with how it prices its GED testing. In New Jersey, test takers pay $50 for the complete test battery and a re-testing fee of $10 per each of the five content areas.
Mercer County Community College serves as the county’s only certified GED testing center and administers more than 500 GEDs a year, according to officials. Melina Harris, the director of the college’s GED program, said the new price of the 2014 GED would require students to pay $100 — double what they pay now.
However, Ms. Harris said there are other changes to the new GED that need to be weighed as well.
For example, the 2014 GED will be offered only on computers. Students will immediately receive their scores once they finish, and they will receive a detailed score report that essentially will show their strengths and weaknesses to help them focus on what they need to improve.
”The bottom line is the current test is not convenient for test takers and it’s driven by bureaucratic systems — we’re streamlining it to make it easier,” Mr. Turner said. “The computer-based testing is more test-taker focused, and it’s more flexible — you come in, sit and start when you’re ready and leave as soon as you finish.”
Ms. Harris pointed out some people are not comfortable with computers and might score lower than what they might have on a pencil-and-paper-based test.
State officials appeared partial to the computer aspect, but thought it should be phased in rather than all at once.
”Having a computer-based option and eventually moving toward a strictly computer-based test is essential in keeping students and prospective employees prepared for today’s school and workforce requirements,” Ms. Morgan said.
Ms. Morgan said the DOE is working with other states and test vendors to ensure the new adult education system is universally accepted.
State officials said they would make a decision on what and how many tests they will offer once they receive responses to the Request for Proposals they are sending out this summer.
Whatever the state decides, Ms. Harris said it would continue to prepare individuals for whatever replacement test the DOE ends up choosing.
”My job is to help people earn diplomas; we are student focused, and in this economy, if you don’t have a high school diploma, you have a huge disadvantage in finding employment,” she said. “We’re here to implement whatever New Jersey decides to do and help our students prepare.”
